Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

2017 • 90 minutes
4.9
20 reviews
93%
Tomatometer
Eligible
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About this movie

From acclaimed director Steve James, this Academy Award® Nominee, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail tells the saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York. Accused of mortgage fraud, the indictment and trial forces the Sung family to defend themselves - and their bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community - over the course of a five-year legal battle.

Ratings and reviews

4.9
20 reviews
Nathan
February 19, 2018
Thanks to the producer for making a great documentary. I am a Chinese immigrant and have been admiring the justice system in US. When I saw the introduction of this film, I was stunned. A Chinese community bank, which ranked 2651st in the US, was indicted for mortgage fraud by NY DA. As the story unfolds, I was thrilled to see the unity of the Sung's family and effort they made to defend themselves. Finally, they pulled it off. Abacus is a tiny bank. They do their best to protect their customers and help Chinese immigrants to realize their American Dream, which overshadows those big banks in the crisis. Nicely done. Thumbs up.
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The Legend
January 6, 2019
Truly a wonderful film. The only reason it didn't win an Academy Award is because it went up against the best documentary feature of the last 10 years Icarus. It's a close second but damn it deserves praise.
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Jeffery Carr
May 19, 2018
We the people are collectively guilty of the true crime. There will never be any prosecution the actually guilty banks.
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